680 
CHLOROFORM IN TETANUS. 
On the introduction of chloroform as a medicinal agent, I deter¬ 
mined, the first opportunity, to put its power to the test in the treat¬ 
ment of this awful malady. 
September 9, 1848.—A pony, about thirteen hands high, was 
sent to my infirmary, a distance of four miles. It was with great 
difficulty he reached it, although they informed me little appeared 
the matter with him when they started from home. 
I saw him in half an hour after he was admitted : by that time 
the symptoms were of the most aggravated character. He was a 
complete fixture, incapable of progressing a single step ; the jaws 
were firmly set; cartilago-nictitans protruding; rigid state of the 
muscles, accompanied with other symptoms usual in this disease, 
too well known to need minute description. 
From the owner I ascertained he had worked, eaten, drunk, 
and appeared in perfect health the day previous, and had been in 
his accustomed stable. The weather was dry. But on examining 
him carefully over, I discovered no wound or injury to the feet from 
shoeing. It was, therefore, clearly a case of idiopathic tetanus. 
I am sorry that I did not at the time take particular notice of 
the quantity of chloroform I administered after the first dose. 
Treatment .—Gave Barb, aloes 3x in solution, hydrarg.chlorid. 3j, 
tr. opii 5j, chloroform. 3j; put on two warm horse-rugs, flannel band¬ 
ages to the legs; back-raked; and threw up per rectum a large 
quantity of warm water, containing aloes and sapo mollis in solu¬ 
tion ; kept him as quiet and free from noise as possible, allowing 
no one to see him for two hours; at the expiration of which I found 
him about the same. I then gave more chloroform, tr. opii, and 
nitric aether, and applied the ext. belladonnae, rubbed down with 
nitric ether, to the whole of the head: half an hour afterwards I 
found him better. Gave more chloroform, and used an enema of 
the same in warm water. In half an hour after he was evidently 
under the action of the medicine. The muscles appeared gradually 
to relax from their inordinate action; the legs were more flexible; 
the eyes became heavy, and a sleepy appearance gradually stole 
over the countenance. In a short time he fell down, and lay per¬ 
fectly quiet. I could now, for the first time, perceive the pulse : it 
was 98, extremely irritable, assuming alternately a soft and wiry 
character. I allowed him to remain in this state for some time. 
A deep sleep followed for nearly an hour. At length the medicine 
seemed to be losing its effect. Twitching action of the muscles 
was again observable all over the body; trismus was increasing. 
By applying to the nostrils at intervals a sponge containing chloro¬ 
form, I kept my patient in a sleepy, unconscious state for about 
ten hours; from which time, in consequence of not using the sponge, 
he gradually regained a state of consciousness. In a short time he 
